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2011 / 2112: Seventh Season for Cisco – 2nd (last) for Elbert; Introducing "Farrah"

The birds started to molt in early April of 2011.  That ends the 6th season. 
The previous season log can be found at Cisco's 6th Season
Newest updates towards top of page, except for field meet logs, where order is reversed 
Please email me.  Click on hypertext below, or copy and paste address using your email client.
cisco@virtualvideo.cc


The two hawks can be seen via web cam during most weekday daylight hours here: Cam1 & Cam2.

cisco hovers

Cisco in Katy, TX, hovers - January 2011- In my opinion this picture by Bob Dalton is one of the very best taken of Cisco ever.
 elbert

Ms. Elbert in Abilene, Texas, January 2011 (Photo:Bob Dalton) The beautiful photograph above was the cover photo of Bob Dalton's World of Falconry, Issue #7, July 2011. Below is a picture by George Nalbandian taken in September, with Elbert's having a starling on my fist.  She had molted into her stunning adult plumage. Unfortunately, MsE got very aggressive, and I had to release her on 11/18/2011.
farrah on block
New Harris's hawk I acquired from Keith Denman right after the NAFA meet.  I call her Farrah.
 fist
Elbert at her best, a month or to before I released her.

2/19/2012 - Triple Play on Bob Bunnies

My apprentice Daniel put me onto a new field where he had seen rabbits.  The rabbits were there and I put Cisco out first.  He flew to the top of a power pole; below him was a disabled transformer.  He began watching the rose bushes, then flew out over the field, hovering and wheeling. It was the most beautiful flying, followed by a tear drop stoop, and the capture of a small rabbit.  From here on out, these will be called Bob Bunnies, in honor of my friend, Bob Dalton; he likes to give me grief about the size of Cisco's rabbits.  See hand illustration below.  That is the size of a Bob Bunnie.  Cisco gobbled the hapless creature down, and I put him in hawk box in car.

Next up was Farrah.  She was flying at 831 grams today, and flew to same pole but landed on an insulator below the top.  I was very uncomfortable, even with the transformer disabled, as there was still a hot line there.  She flew to my fist for a mouse and we then began to chase rabbits around the field.  We ended up back where we started, and flushed another Bob Bunnie, caught and eaten.  A rabbit that can be eaten by a 831 gram female Harris' can't be too big.

At Lowe's shopping for a lamp a few hours later, I got a call from Lynne Holder.  You guessed it.  Dart and Lynne's dog, Max, had teamed up to catch yet a third one.  A big day for Team Cisco with the Bob Bunnies.  Dart, flying at 621 grams today also ate the whole thing.

Harris's hawk with Bob Bunnie
Red-tailed hawk with Bob Bunnie


Team Cisco out to weather a few weeks ago at Mike Wiegel's house. Dart at left, Farrah, and Cisco in foreground.
2/12/2012 - Sunday Update
Cisco caught a rabbit today at Gold Fire, very quickly.  The rascal has learned that he can easily catch rabbits from the tall metal power pole, and flies up there to watch for his victims, which he nails.  Has not missed since he began doing this a few weeks ago and is now three for three.  He has caught probably 70 to 90 rabbits in this field over seven seasons, and just started this.  Cisco never hunted from that pole before.  Old hawk, new tricks.  It's almost too easy for him, and he knows it.  Today he labored up there, spent a few minutes looking around, and down he came, smashing a buck eastern cottontail.  Jim Ince, Ron Wilson, and Mike Wiegel were all with us. 
2/11/2012 - Harris' Hawks on Saturday
 Farrah caught a cotton rat by the park, which she carried off, while Dart caught a cottontail - Lynne Holder brought him to Houston, and we hunted in Katy.  Lynne was quite excited as Dart has had a quiet season so far.  Cisco goofed off, being fat. Pictures by George Nalbandian to be inserted later.
2/4/2012 - Farrah's quick catch
I took Ron Wilson with me out to Gold Fire. Farrah was at hunting weight, and now knows how to hunt this field. Initially a little slow to follow, she flew from a tree by the church, over to the T pole. Within minutes she was sitting high in the trees, and shortly caught a rabbit. Apparently an eastern cottontail, it was a pregnant female which I hate to see. Nevertheless, the Harris' hawk's performance was excellent, almost too good, as we really had little hunting time. Of course she dragged the head under a bush. In future I will use a different technique for trading her off kills.
1/29/2012 - Cisco and Farrah
A great day in the field after about nine or ten day slump.  The last game caught by either hawk was the big swamp rabbit that dragged Cisco about thirty feet into a big Cherokee rose bush the week before last.  Since then, lots of flights on some days, then yesterday in the woods, neither hawk had a single squirrel flight.  

Today was different. I went back to Gold Fire, not having been there in a month at least. I planned to let Farrah fly first, but Cisco began squawking (hooded) in his box when I started fooling with the gear.  I let him fly first - he was definitely ready.   He started hunting in the little grove of trees by the church, then rode the T pole, as I crossed the ditch.  He flew back and forth from the pole to the little trees, then flew to the top of of a big power pole that sits at the edge of the tollway and field.  He attacked one rabbit, but missed, then flew to the lowest of the three phase power wires on that same pole.  He looked intently down for a few minutes then caught a swamp rabbit at the end of a nice stoop.  It was very efficient, and he was looking so good that I wished that he had more time in the field, at the same time glad we finally caught some game.  I let him eat the head, and gave him the organs and a chick. If a swamp rabbit, certainly not a huge one.  Time for the Harris' hawk who has really been in a slump, though generally doing everything right. In early January she caught three squirrels in one week, and nothing since.

Farrah was also charged up, very excited.  Normally she is so-so about hunting rabbits; her real interest is squirrels.  Today she chased repeatedly around those bushes, once flying right into the bush and disappearing while the rabbit took off through the side entrance.  Another time today Farrah walked under a bush scaring the rabbit out the other side.  Too bad I didn't have a flying ferret.  She'll learn.  Maybe Farrah figured that if she flushed the rabbit, I'd catch it.  Or maybe she's just a knucklehead. All her enthusiasm was not paying off, so I walked to the ditch that leads to Highway 90A.  She followed, landing on the T pole.  I walked along with her riding, then she flew across the ditch to a tree on the other side.  A rabbit flushed behind her, following her up the bank.  Farrah was distracted, but just managed to see it as she turned around to face the ditch.  The rabbit ran and she clobbered it.  It was now dusk.  The best day best day in several weeks.

1/??/2012 - A swamp rabbit takes Cisco
 In Amarillo last fall Cisco stopped a six pound jack rabbit dead in its tracks.  Today after work out at De Soto Street Cisco grabbed a cane cutter that didn't even slow down, taking Cisco deep into the heart of a Cherokee rose.  I have never, in seven seasons, seen Cisco so out of control.  He had the rabbit by the hind leg and it had every intention of scraping him off.  It was an old rabbit that didn't even scream until I reached in.  Cisco was stretched out on his back, mouth agape, and wings spread, but would not let go.  I dispatched the rabbit, and had to cut the bush to let Cisco out.
1/8/2012 - Farrah luvs 'dem squirrels

 Farrah  is quite an enthusiastic squirrel hawk, having taken three since last Monday.  Her catch this week on an after work hunt had me a little concerned about her footing.  She has a stellar grip, comparable to Cisco's certainly, but after work this week, she grabbed a squirrel in the most sloppy manner.  I dispatched the squirrel, otherwise it might have gotten her.  Tonight she caught a squirrel in the tree, killed it swiftly, and carried it to the nearby stream.  The good news is she is a good footer, the bad is that she wants to drag away or take off with everything she kills. 
1/2/2012 - Happy New Year for the new team

A brace of squirrels today.  Wiegel and I took the two hawks out to the park.  Cisco at 908 was fired up and pursued squirrels until he found one hiding high in a brushy mass.  He caught the squirrel, killed it, and coasted down landing right on the sidewalk!  We put him in the hawk box box and got the HH, Farrah, ready to go.  She was at around 817; I'll have to check the log.  She didn't follow well initially, but then got going.  She chased a squirrel on the other side of the park road, then returned to the main woods.  In a similar kind of vegetation she grabbed a squirrel high in a tree.  I was worried that it was biting her, but it finally quit moving.  She flew down and hid under a huge bush, and we had to track her with the transmitter.  I had visions of having to dismantle a bush at nine at night, but finally got an idea.  I tied the leash around Cisco's squirrel's neck and dangled it enticingly.  The greedy little girl came out dragging her squirrel, so I soon  had her on my fist.  Looks like I may have to buy one of those dumb looking squirrel lures, or else have a frozen squirrel handy (a la Keith Denman).  The difference in the two hawks' styles on squirrels is very interesting.  Farrah is the first HH I have seen squirrel hawking.  She stays close to the squirrels all the time if possible, moving up and down the tree.  Cisco keeps his distance, launching an explosive attack at full speed when the moment is right, though he too will follow a squirrel up and down a tree at times.  But it is very different and makes hunting with the two of them even more interesting.  

Neither hawk even got a nibble on feet today.  The last squirrel that the RT caught bit Cisco several times.  The squirrel was caught in a bush and the hawk couldn't foot very well.  He hadn't had a bite on him with the previous eight squirrels - ever since I quit flying with chaps of any kind (even my own invention).  This is the first squirrel for me with Farrah - she grabbed one a week or two back that bit her and she let it go.  I fly both hawks jessless with anklets only. 


Big bunny 12/22/2011
 This bunny was behind me - amazing to see a RT from that angle, straight on, coming from a tree.  Less than a minute in the field.  The HH caught a squirrel tail tonight,  Don't know how to score that one.

big
Farrah's first kill (with me) - 12/20/2011
 At 821 with her gear, including transmitter.
first rabbit
From an email the same day to Lynne Holder:\
 Cisco put on quite a show afterwards in the heavy cover.  He ended up with a mouse after about two hours of teardrop stoops, chasing one bunny about 100 yards after bouncing out of a ditch.  I thought about Dart but the cover is heavy.  Now, in the same field where Farrah caught this rascal Dart would be fine.  Unfortunately the rabbits hide in the ultra-heavy stuff about 30 feet from this kill. This is the field behind the Pavestone plant at Pederson.  Tons of rabbits that we will never deplete.  It takes a dumb one like the one Farrah caught.  Any of our three hawks would have caught this rabbit. 
It was a great day for the Houston Hawking Club! - 12/18/2011
I went out early today, a Sunday, and quiet.  I took Cisco to chase some squirrels at a nearby woods.  He did well considering the still highly vegitated woods. Vegitated?  Too much ground cover, and too many leaves on the trees.  Cisco grabbed a squirrel at one point but it must have bitten its way to freedom, based on the bite Cisco had on the fleshy part of his big toe.  Cisco wisely bailed.  In the middle of the hunt, Jim Ince called saying that he was a falconer again, with Tariq's taking a snipe from a fine pitch in fine style.  Jim was excited.  Mike Wiegel called, and invited me to join him and friend at LePeep.  He was also excited - Jim had called him first.

Today was the day I decided to free-flight Farrah.  She had very hot response to fist yesterday evening, flying 50 feet to the fist.  Having never lost a bird in my life on the first free-flight, I decided to do it.  No lure training, no creance work.  I would never do this with a new bird, but she has a season behind her with Keith Denman, whom I acquired her from.  I was cautiously confident that I would get her back.  Wiegel came along this afternoon. Farrah exceeded expectations.  She followed-on well, and came repeatedly to the fist from trees.  We flushed a rabbit, and she came close to catching it.  A+ for my new Harris' hawk.  I gave her a large crop of rabbit tonight, and will not feed her until Tuesday's hunt.  I weighed her tonight.  938 grams with her transmitter, harness, bell, anklets, and jesses held.

Cisco continues to be unstoppable.  After this morning's long hunt, he was still ready and at a good weight.  We put the Harris' in the buzzard box and took Cisco out to Katy.  He soared a bit while I was getting my gear on, and we had to walk a ways to get him from a tree.  He was hunting.  Cisco rode the T pole, and we flushed a rabbit which ran out into the open.  It looked like it might get away when Cisco tripped it up.  For a drought ravaged season, Cisco is doing OK.  

The title of this day's log came from Jim Ince, his response to a text I sent out.
Cisco on Sunday
Cisco with his rabbit, probably an immature swamp rabbit
Farrah
Farrah today - she still has some immature feathers
Nothing if not relentless - 12/15/2011
Thursday afternoon.  Joe Philabaum came in again from Fayetteville, which demonstrates his keen interest in falconry.  We met at the squirrel woods, where Cisco gamely tried to catch squirrels on Tuesday.  Today it was clear, sunny and warm.  Yuck.  Cisco, always businesslike, set to work.  We had a number of chases, a couple quite close to success.  Cisco was focused, coming to the field at 923 grams.  He continued to chase whatever squirrels he could find, but the action was often hard to follow from the ground, and he drifted off.  A good hour or more went by.  Right across from where we parked was another small woods.  Cisco flew over and within minutes had his second squirrel of the season, a young buck cat squirrel.  The Uberbuzzard is good.

I rushed home to fly Farrah, and before dark had just enough time to get the line set up between the perches, grab the hawk, and call her to the fist.  She has very hot response to the fist at an estimated weight of 825.  She veers off some, but in general is good.  She is still skittish, but coming along.  I was in such a hurry I had no time for the scale, but she weighed 871 afterwards, and I estimate she ate about 50 or so grams of food.  I can tell she will be a great hawk.  I would be willing to bet I could take her out at this weight and she would take game.  But I don't quite feel comfortable with her yet.
deus ex machina - 12/10/2011
Lynne Holder brought Dart in from Chappell Hill, Joe Philabaum came in again from Fayetteville.  Mike Wiegel, Jim Ince, and Daniel Rasi all came along as we took Dart to a new field that Daniel found.   It had lots of Cherokee Roses, and a fair amount of swamp rabbit sign, but is a huge field.  We did not actually see any rabbits; obviously they are spread out.  The group split up after about an hour, with Jim, Joe, and Mike's going to watch Tariq, the Barbary tiercel, fly.

Lynne, Daniel and I headed to Gold Fire, a field with plenty of rabbits though the cover there is not to Dart's liking.  When I was flying him a few years ago, I only took him there a couple of times.  This is also the field where I lost him for three days. Dart grabbed a swamp rabbit there once, but it wiggled away in the heavy cover.  Today Dart set to work, immediately catching a small rodent.  We took him across the ditch where he chased some rabbits, but was a little befuddled.  He really does not like this heavy cover.  It began to get late and it appeared he was starting to slow down.  I suggested Cisco, which was agreed to.  While Lynne and Daniel wrapped up Dart's hunting, I got Cisco (Deus ex machina) ready.  Dart caught another rodent right at the end.

Cisco started out fooling around in the trees east of the ditch.  I called him to the pole.  It was time to teach these rascally rabbits some respect.  Within minutes Cisco launched from the pole, flew about 40 yards and caught a big swamp rabbit. 

We all went to Los Tios for dinner.

Farrah flew about 10+ yards to the fist today.  Almost instantaneous response, amazing to me since she's at 840 grams.  Still much heavier than the 765 Keith flew her at.  Maybe she'll fly at over 800.  That would be nice.
Rodent Warrior's earliest squirrel in 7 seasons - 12/8/2011
Rodent Warrior: that appellation was attached to Cisco a couple of years ago by Matthew Mullenix.  Cisco continues to be impressive.  This morning I told Lynne Holder that Cisco would catch a squirrel today.  There are still a ton of leaves on the trees, making it difficult for the austringer and hawk alike.  I went out to the squirrel woods; crews were working very near by, cutting dead trees down.  Cisco was at a fine weight, 933 grams, and screaming a little.  I pulled his jesses off and he went to work.  We had some chases fairly quickly, but they were hard to watch because of leaves.  The pace slowed down, and I actually got bored.  No squirrels, no flights, but Cisco stayed engaged.  Finally he began to chase again.  Just before the end, I flushed a squirrel which to me, looked like a good one to chase.  It ran right ahead of me, and Cisco had a clear shot at it.  Cisco showed no interest, so I expected he had another one he preferred.  Sure enough.  He struck a squirrel about 20 feet up in the tree, and struggled with it before parachuting
down.  It had a grip around Cisco's hallux, but hardly any scratches or bites resulted.


Farrah, out on the side lawn
Cisco working on the severed head.  I will take the body shortly and put in game bag.

The new "Team Cisco," consisting of these two, plus Lynne's hawk, Dart.  The Harris' is on the ground because she wants to come over and whoop Cisco, who appears to be not overly concerned.

A windy day swamp rabbit - 12/6/2011
Joe Philabaum came in from Fayetteville. I took a half day off from work; as I drove to the field in Katy I noticed the wind was blowing hard, not conducive to hawking.  It was cold and grey as well.  Joe met me at the Love's truck stop and we proceeded the short distance to the field.  Another issue today was my having to use a very short T pole - my bamboo favorite finally gave out after being run over and repaired with tape.

Out in the field, it was uncomfortable, and there was not much game.  Cisco twitched at some sparrows, and flew around a bit, battling the wind.  Today was the first time that he would not fly into the wind to the fist.  I had to move a little downwind.  After stomping around a good hour, we walked along the ditch.  This was the same ditch where Ms. Elbert killed a water moccasin but got bitten in the process.  As Joe and I walked a small swamp rabbit broke from cover and with some quick aerobatics, followed by a somersault, Cisco had a nice rabbit for the cooler.  An admirable catch on Cisco's part.

Cisco with his little swamp rabbit (Joe Philabaum)
Farrah in the kitchen in Houston (Lyn Redding)
 
Farrah Update: The Harris' hawk is coming along.  I have not been nearly rigorous enough with her weight control, with my concentrating more on Cisco.  She is coming along, at 850 grams she will now hop on my fist indoors, and after bating off the perch once she will hop to fist outdoors too.  I have been tidbitting her.  I have a stuffed animal red-tailed hawk on my dresser.  Farrah now bates at it.  I think she's ready to take hunting! Not.  I will now get serious, and feed her about a hopper mouse per day.  That results in roughly a 1% decrease in weight per day.  I am amazed how she retains the weight.  I used to feed my kestrels more daily food than this.
Cisco's Anniversary- 12/3/2011
Six years ago today, Cisco was trapped in Fort Worth.  He has been a spectacularly successful and versatile hawk from day one.  Today, along with Jim Ince, Daniel Rasi, and Mike Wiegel, I took Cisco out to the field we call Gold Fire.  Since early 2006 Cisco has caught scores of mostly swamp rabbits in this field.  It was so windy this afternoon that I considered not flying the hawk.  However, he has been successful in icy, cold, hot, rainy and blustery weather; this was not the worst.

I put him in a small stand of trees by the church and Cisco began by trying to catch a cotton rat immediately.  He flew across the little ditch and then put in all kinds of interesting aerial displays, alighting on the tops of small trees, zooming back to the T pole, hovering above the wild rose bushes where the prey often hides.  After a few unsuccessful attempts at rabbits complicated by the wind, Cisco used his brain and flew to the top of the very tall power transmission pole, which sits at the edge of the field.  Within a minute he dropped nearly straight down, feet first (Harris' hawk style) and snagged a cottontail deep in a bush.  When I ran up Cisco was nearly buried in brambles, his feet stretched out below him holding a wiggling but secured rabbit.


 
Cisco each season:

Picture by Jim Ince - the anniversary rabbit - season 7
Pictures from the previous six seasons:

Season 1: Right off the trap in Ft. Worth - 12/3/205 - poor guy
very frightened
Season 2: A swamp rabbit caught near my house in Houston
(Oak Forest)

Season 3: With a cat squirrel
Season 4: Possibly his biggest rabbit ever, a swamp rabbit taken in Oak Forest

Season 5: A big swamp rabbit taken at Gold Fire
Season 6: A squirrel taken after work

Lots of Things - 12/1/2011
I went to NAFA meet in Vernal, accompanied by my sister, Kate, and Mike Wiegel.  On the way we released Ms. Elbert in Bryan because she footed me in face on several occasions, drawing blood.  See previous update.  Cisco caught his first jack rabbit on the way back from Vernal. More verbiage and pictures later (or not).

Cisco and new Harris' hawk, Farrah, taken out in Katy, TX (Joe Philabaum)
Cisco with 6 pound black-tailed jackrabbit taken in Amarillo, TX on  way back from NAFA meet (Mike Wiegel)

Amarillo BTJ..... (Mike Wiegel)
New Harris's I call Farrah, a second year sore hawk acquired from Keith Denman.

Farrah last season while being flown by Keith Denman
Kate in Vernal with one of the Peel's juvenile Harris' hawks

Randy and Jane Peel in Vernal with their two HH's.









11/17/2011 - Elbert's Epilog
I released MsE up in Bryan TX, at Charli Rohack's house. Months ago she crabbed with a wild red-shouldered hawk, then returned to the fist.  She was very agitated and went for my face, drawing blood behind my ear.  There is a clip on my YouTube site, chuckr1951.   At the time, I considered the behavior to be an anomaly. A couple of weeks ago, with Andrew Hill, I flew Elbert out at Gold Fire, where she chased a cottontail.  Upon returning to the fist, she footed me in the cheek, again drawing blood.  I immediately thought, "Strike Two!"  I did not expect another attack for a long while, but a few days later she got me again.  I called Charli, and the plan was to release her on way to NAFA meet.  Wiegel and I spent the night at Charli's and released her in the morning.  We called her down, cut off her anklets, and she was not seen for more than ten days.  That put a damper on the NAFA trip for me, but one day a red-shoulder flew across the pasture and swooped right over Charli's head.  Charlotte had never seen that behavior from a RSH before, so was very confident that it was our hawk.  Ms Elbert was a charming hawk who enjoyed sitting on my knee.  It is too bad she became face aggressive

11/12/2011 to 11/13/2011 - Weekend Update
Lots of news and I have been poor about keeping the site updated.  Cisco is now well into his season, and in fine form.  On Saturday, I took Daniel Rasi, Joe Philabaum, and Andrew Hill with me and Cisco.  We went to Gold Fire to hunt.  There is one little section still open, very heavily overgrown, but still has rabbits.  Cisco caught a cotton rat after chasing a swamp rabbit or two and a sparrow.  Then as we walked on the south side of the field he grabbed this rough green snake.  The snake was safely released, not punctured. 


(Photos: Joe Philabaum)
Cameron and Katy

Cameron Turner brought Katy, his third season PFRT, who caught a small rabbit and a cotton rat.

Finally, Sunday evening, thanks to Rob Evans, Cisco caught a cottontail down the street from Rob's house in Katy, TX

MsE will be released this week up in Bryan.  She has taken to attacking my face.

Livingston, TX: Week of 10/3/2011: Nathan Andrews' first year PFRT with her third squirrel.  The bird is doing very well.
 rina and ernie
10/9/2011, Baton Rouge: Matthew Mullenix's team: A whippet called Rina and a tiercel Harris's called Ernie

10/9/2011 - Birds in The Rain
George Nalbandian came along with me this morning, his fourth with the red-shouldered hawk.  We first met Mike Wiegel for breakfast as Denny's at 0700.  Today had the first consistent rain we have had in Houston for a long time.  MsE put in a fine long flight on one bird and caught another for her lunch.

10/2/2011 - Starlings for Breakfast

George Nalbandian came along with me again this morning.  After last week's outing being spoiled by the RSH's crabbing with a wild bird, I was hoping for something better.  We got it today.  On the very first slip, with no weathering at all (we were looking for a place to let her hang out a bit first), I spotted a lone starling.  A little bit too far off the window, but MsE was ready.  As she closed on it, the starling shot out to the right like a bullet.  MsE's good footing skills took care of that.  I transferred her off with a entire chick, and put the starling in the box.  I told George to be ready with camera because the instant MsE finishes her ground snack she will launch to the fist,  George caught that instant.  Elbert does this even if she has eaten half a mule deer.  She goes from mantling like crazy to launching to the fist every time.

Since she had caught her first bird before we even began to hunt, we continued on for a while.  She chased some grackles, but there were not many birds out.  We were starting to circle around toward Wiegel's house so George could look at the Barbary tiercel*, when we spotted a couple of starlings.  MsE set up again perfectly and caught her second. In one I'm on my belly using the Mullenix make-in trick.  We were on a boulevard, she was fat, and had more than a full chick, plus a little starling in her crop.  Plus, she will sometimes just hold birds, not finishing them off.  I made in, squeezed the starling and headed to the car.   Though she's a not a carrier, I wanted to make sure she didn't fly off, and she was looking a little restless.  No problem today.  It was a year ago today that she took her last double on birds, a rail and a sparrow. After that she got on a cotton rat tear, and didn't catch another bird until a few weeks ago.  That is unless you count the five second ride she had on the back of a big cock pheasant up in Dodge City at NAFA meet.

I also stumbled on this nice picture of Cisco taken by Bob Dalton last winter and had to throw that in.............

*Tariq is the bird Mr. Ince will take in a couple of weeks to fly this season.

Five pictures by George Nalbandian

Starling a la plastic box.............
Trading a chick for a starling

The instant after finishing the chick
Belly in on starling #2 - don't want her taking off...........

Great being in Oklahoma sometimes
Great picture of Cisco taken last January by Bob Dalton - has nothing to do with today's activities

Tariq this morning
 

9/18/2011 - A few weeks of dumpster hawking
Today George Nalbandian and I took Ms. Elbert out for some serious dumpster hawking.  George, a colleague of mine, was in the field with me and Jonathan Millican back in 2006 when Cisco caught a swamp rabbit out at the Gold Fire field.  George has not been out with me since, but I happened to ride a van home from the office with him Friday evening, and invited him.  We met before dawn at a Target near my house and began the search for starlings.  We had some flights, with MsE's pulling some feathers off a grackle, nearly catching a starling, and flying into a bush narrowly missing a house sparrow.  This was a weekend with no kills after two in a row.  We finally had some rain.  Pictures from the weekends are below. 
911
The next Sunday morning, on a sad anniversary, she catches another.

MsE feeding on fist, 9/18/2011 (George Nalbandian)

MsE draws a crowd after she catches her first bird on Labor Day
breakfast
This thing was wiggly.  In fact it escaped momentarily after Elbert had held it for a minute or two.  I did not want to provoke her to carry, nor have her let go of the bird to fly to the fist.   She did that with a starling last fall, and it went over the horizon.

   


launcher leash
Cisco while training on a Greg Thomas "Launcher Leash®"
 Tariq
Mike Wiegel's Barbary, Tariq - picture taken in his mew

Dart hanging out at Lynne Holder's in early September

 Karah
Nathan Andrews of Livingston with his very young
female sore hawk red-tail trapped this summer.  "Karah"
has already caught a squirrel and a rat.



Elbert hanging out in the living room - pretty much finished molting
 The Real Elbert

Ms. Elbert's namesake, Mt. Elbert, tallest mountain in CO. Mike Wiegel, my nephew Jeff Ward, my sister Kate, and I climbed Mt. Elbert during Hurricane Ike in 2008.

camera

May 15, 2011 - Ms. Elbert decided to take down the Internet camera, apparently not caring to be spied upon

 girlfriend

Late June: Cisco, left, and his girlfriend, "Katy," Cameron Turner's two
year old PFRT.  This picture is very deceptive.  Katy outweighs Cisco
by about a half pound, and is a much bigger and stronger hawk.  When
out weathering it is apparent.  In this picture she actually looks smaller. 
Cisco is molting at around 1010 grams, while Katy weighs 1285.  In late            December 2009 she was trapped at around 1350 if I remember correctly.

molting
Ms Elbert in late May - molting beautifully, basking in the sun. Photo: Chuck Redding
A baby Cooper's hawk at my friend Charli (Charlotte)            Rohack's house in Bryan, TX.
Photo: Charli Rohack


More at Charli's - Her RT, Isadora, raises young hawks that come to Charli's rehab center.  Here she is with her latest.   Two pictures by Charli Rohack.
The red-shoulder wonders if the cairn terrier is worth eating......



A YouTube video of Cisco trying to catch squirrels from a ring perch.  He is well aware that the tiniest movement will cause the squirrels jump back. He will hunt them relentlessly in the woods.  On this particular day he bated once at the squirrels in a twenty to thirty minute period.  He caught one from a bow perch a few seasons back.